Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 80 / Tuesday, April 26, 2011 / Notices 23273 

Administrator has authority with 

respect to voluntary inspection and 

certification of animal products and the 

inspection, testing, treatment, and 

certification of animals. 

APHIS regulations in 9 CFR part 149 

contain certification requirements for 

the voluntary Trichinae Certification 

Program, a cooperative effort by APHIS 

and the U.S. pork industry. The program 

is intended to enhance the ability of 

swine producers, as well as slaughter 

facilities and other persons that handle 

or process swine from pork production 

sites that have been certified under the 

program, to export fresh pork and 

products to foreign markets. 

The current collection activities for 

the certification program include animal 

disposal plans, animal movement 

records, feed mill quality assurance 

affidavits, logbooks, recordkeeping, test 

results, documented procedures at 

slaughter facilities for certified swine 

and edible pork products, and written 

procedures at approved laboratories that 

pertain to the performance of processverification testing. Other activities 

being combined with the current 

collection are spot audits; notification to 

APHIS of program withdrawal; and 

requests to APHIS for temporary 

program withdrawal, review of audit 

results or other determination, and 

certification site audits. Although we 

will collect additional information, we 

project our burden to decrease due to 

the decrease in the number of annual 

respondents. 

We are asking the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) to 

approve our use of these information 

collection activities for 3 years. 

The purpose of this notice is to solicit 

comments from the public (as well as 

affected agencies) concerning our 

information collection. These comments 

will help us: 

(1) Evaluate whether the collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

Agency, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our 

estimate of the burden of the collection 

of information, including the validity of 

the methodology and assumptions used; 

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and 

(4) Minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, through use, as 

appropriate, of automated, electronic, 

mechanical, and other collection 

technologies; e.g., permitting electronic 

submission of responses. 

Estimate of burden: The public 

reporting burden for this collection of 

information is estimated to average 

0.5280 hours per response. 

Respondents: Auditors (accredited 

veterinarians and State animal health 

officials), pork producers, mill 

managers, slaughter facility personnel, 

and personnel from approved 

laboratories. 

Estimated annual number of 

respondents: 1,250. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses per respondent: 11.3512. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses: 14,189. 

Estimated total annual burden on 

respondents: 7,492 hours. (Due to 

averaging, the total annual burden hours 

may not equal the product of the annual 

number of responses multiplied by the 

reporting burden per response.) 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

also become a matter of public record. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 21st day of 

April 2011. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–10088 Filed 4–25–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Bend/Ft. Rock Ranger District; 

Deschutes National Forest; Deschutes 

County, Oregon; Mt. Bachelor Ski Area 

Improvements Project EIS 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, 

will prepare an environmental impact 

statement (EIS) on a proposed action 

comprising a number of infrastructural 

improvements at Mt. Bachelor ski resort, 

22 miles southwest of Bend, Oregon. 

The resort lies entirely on National 

Forest System land and has operated 

under a ski area special use permit 

(SUP) issued by the Deschutes National 

Forest (DNF) since 1958. The permit 

area is 8,122 acres. 

The projects include on-mountain 

improvements such as development of a 

new chairlift and associated trails, 

shortening and/or replacement of three 

existing lifts, expanding snowmaking 

coverage, construction of a lift-served, 

downhill mountain bike park, and 

adding to the Nordic trail system. 

Improvements to base area facilities are 

also proposed, including expansion of 

two existing lodges, construction of a 

new lodge, construction of a race 

training center, removal and/or 

relocation of inappropriately sited and 

outdated facilities, expansion of parking 

lots, and installation of associated 

infrastructure. 

The EIS will address the Proposed 

Action and the required No-Action 

Alternative, as well as any other 

alternatives identified through public 

scoping or internal, interdisciplinary 

review. The EIS process will include a 

number of opportunities for 

involvement and input from the public 

as well as interested organizations and 

agencies. 

Public Scoping. This notice initiates 

the EIS process and provides notice of 

the first opportunity for public 

involvement, the scoping period. 

Comments regarding the scope of the 

EIS (i.e., the actions, alternatives, and 

impacts it addresses) are invited. 

Comments should be as specific as 

possible. More information on the 

Proposed Action and instructions for 

submitting scoping comments are 

provided below. 

Comments received in response to 

this notice, including names and 

addresses of those who comment, will 

be considered part of the public record 

for this project and will be available for 

public inspection. 

This is also an opportunity to 

participate in the National Historic 

Preservation Act, Section 106 process. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis must be received by 30 

days following the date that this notice 

appears in the Federal Register. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 

Shane Jeffries, District Ranger, BendFort Rock Ranger District, Red Oaks 

Square, 1230 NE Third Street Suite A– 

262, Bend, Oregon 97701. Comments 

may also be faxed to (541) 383–4700, 

sent electronically to commentspacificnorthwest-deschutes-bendftrock@fsled.us, or hand delivered to 

1230 NE Third Street, Suite A–262, 

Bend, OR, between 7:45 a.m. and 

4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

excluding holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amy Tinderholt, Recreation Team 

Leader, Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District, 

Red Oaks Square, 1230 NE Third Street 

Suite A–262, Bend, Oregon 97701, 

phone (541) 383–4708. 

RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL: The responsible 

official is John Allen, Forest Supervisor, 

Deschutes National Forest, 1001 SW 

Emkay Dr., Bend, OR 97701. He will 

decide whether and under what 

conditions to approve the Proposed 

Action or an alternative addressed in 

the EIS. 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
23274 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 80 / Tuesday, April 26, 2011 / Notices 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background. Under the terms of the 

Ski Area Permit Act of 1986, 

development and operation of ski areas 

on National Forest System lands is 

guided by master development plans 

which describe existing conditions, 

identify physical, environmental, and 

socio-economic opportunities and 

constraints, establish the permittee’s 

conceptual vision for the ski area, and 

outline near-to-long-term plans for 

achieving that vision. As a condition of 

SUP issuance, the Forest Service must 

review and accept a ski area’s MDP. One 

component of an MDP is development 

of the ski area’s physical infrastructure, 

some or all of which may lie on 

National Forest System land and thus 

require agency approval. When 

development plans move from the 

conceptual to the concrete realm, the 

permittee submits a proposal to the 

Forest Service describing specific 

projects, and the agency makes a 

determination whether to accept the 

proposal and initiate their decisionmaking process. If the proposal has the 

potential to significantly impact the 

human environment, the agency must 

analyze and disclose those 

environmental impacts, in accordance 

with the National Environmental Policy 

Act of 1969 (NEPA). 

Mt. Bachelor’s current MDP was 

accepted by the DNF in January 2011. 

The MDP documents analysis of current 

conditions at the resort and, based on 

that analysis, outlines anticipated 

development and management of the 

resort over the next 10 years. As the 

resort operates entirely on National 

Forest System land, all the proposed 

infrastructural improvement projects 

included in the plan require Forest 

Service approval prior to 

implementation. These projects have the 

potential to impact the human 

environment, so they constitute the 

Proposed Action subject to review in 

this EIS. 

Purpose and Need. The purpose and 

need for action reflects the difference 

between existing conditions at Mt. 

Bachelor and desired conditions. The 

overarching purpose for this Proposed 

Action is to implement direction in the 

Land and Resource Plan, Deschutes 

National Forest (Forest LRMP); 

specifically the Proposed Action would 

assist in ‘‘Providing a wide variety of 

recreational opportunities within a 

forest environment where the localized 

settings may be modified to 

accommodate large number of visitors’’ 

(Forest LRMP p. IV–135). In order to 

achieve that purpose, the Proposed 

Action addresses the following needs. 

1. To improve the skiing experience 

during windy conditions. Wind causes 

routine closure of the high-elevation lift 

and frequent closure of the northwestfacing chairlifts at Mt. Bachelor. These 

closures significantly reduce the 

available terrain at Mt. Bachelor on 

windy days, resulting in increased skier 

densities on the remaining pods. 

Development of the proposed Eastside 

pod addresses this need. 

2. To balance the capacities and 

utilization of resort facilities. The 

existing Rainbow chairlift is 

underutilized by beginner and lowintermediate skiers due primarily to its 

lengthy ride time. It is also one of the 

oldest lifts on the mountain. In contrast, 

the adjacent Sunrise Express chairlift is 

over-utilized on busy days, resulting in 

excessive lift lines and less even 

distribution of skiers. A better balance 

in the utilization of these two chairlifts 

is needed to efficiently access the 

terrain they serve. Shortening the 

Rainbow lift alignment, installing the 

current Sunrise Express detachable 

quad lift in that shortened alignment, 

and replacing Sunrise Express with a 

higher-capacity detachable six-pack 

chairlift address this need. 

The Sunrise Lodge is frequently 

overcrowded, even on off-peak days. A 

better balance between the lodge’s 

capacity and demand for the services it 

provides is needed to improve the 

overall recreational experience available 

from the Sunrise base area. Proposed 

improvements to the Sunrise base area 

skier services address this need. 

The Sunrise parking lot fills before 

the other parking lots because it is the 

first entrance to the resort and it is 

located on the more wind-protected east 

side of the mountain. Additional 

parking is needed at the Sunrise base 

area to maintain a balance with the 

lodge, lift, and trail capacity and to 

accommodate parking demand. The 

proposed parking lot expansion and 

access improvements address this need. 

The West Village parking lot provides 

parking for skiers, tubers, Nordic skiers, 

skier-services customers, sight-seers, 

and employees, and it fills to capacity 

on busy days. Additional capacity is 

needed to balance with peak demand for 

parking space. The proposed employee 

and overflow parking lot at West Village 

address this need. 

Bob’s Bungalow, a warming hut on 

the Nordic trail network, is currently 

undersized and in need of repair, 

resulting in crowded, less than 

comfortable conditions at times. 

Additional space and refurbishing are 

needed to meet current demand. 

Proposed improvements to the warming 

hut address this need. 

3. To segregate user groups and ability 

levels. Alpine races and race training 

take place on the busiest part of the 

mountain. Racers must mix with other 

skiers of varying ability levels, which 

detracts from both training effectiveness 

and the enjoyment of the recreational 

skiers. These activities need to be 

separated in the interest of both. This 

need is addressed by the proposed 

construction of an Alpine Training 

Center with dedicated training terrain 

accessed by a shortened Red Chair lift. 

The Nordic Center does not provide 

beginner terrain in the vicinity of the 

Nordic lodge, and lower ability level 

skiers have to navigate a more difficult 

trail to access low-gradient terrain. An 

easily accessible learning area and a 

suitable trail for lower level skiers to 

access the trail network would increase 

accessibility and use of this unique 

Nordic skiing opportunity. The 

proposed learning area and two new 

Nordic trails address this need. 

The tubing area is currently located 

on a low, inconsistent slope with a short 

run-out. A site away from the congested 

skier base area, with a more suitable 

slope gradient and run-out, would 

provide an improved recreational 

experience for skiers and tubers alike. 

The proposed relocation of the tubing 

hill and support infrastructure to the 

other side of the West Village parking 

lot addresses this need. 

4. To update outdated resort facilities 

and infrastructure. The existing ski 

patrol, clinic, and administration 

building is undersized and outdated. 

Updated facilities are needed to serve 

these critical functions. Removal of this 

building and expansion of remaining 

structures to better support these 

functions, as proposed, addresses this 

need. 

The existing generator/electrical/ 

telephone/data building is unsightly 

and outdated, and it is inappropriately 

located within view of the West Village 

base and adjacent ski terrain. A more 

aesthetically appropriate building for 

these utilities in an area that is further 

separated from the ski terrain is needed 

to provide these services. Removal of 

this building and developing new 

utilities infrastructure at a less central 

location, as proposed, addresses this 

need. 

Mt. Bachelor currently generates 

emergency power with diesel 

generators. Heat is provided using 

propane. Together, these facilities 

require substantial investment in and 

storage of fuel. A more cost-efficient, 

environmentally compatible power and 

heat generation facility would better 

meet these needs. The proposed 

biomass co-generation facility addresses 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 80 / Tuesday, April 26, 2011 / Notices 23275 

this need, as well as providing an 

attractive option for utilization of wood 

products from forest management 

projects and associated economic 

benefits. 

5. To maintain adequate snow 

coverage in specific high-traffic areas. 

Early-season snow coverage is often 

inadequate on several key trails on the 

central part of the ski mountain. 

Improved snow coverage is needed to 

alleviate these deficiencies. The 

proposed expansion of the existing 

snowmaking system addresses this 

need. 

6. To provide additional summer 

recreational opportunities. The resort 

currently has only one dedicated hiking 

trail and one mountain bike trail, 

located in the base and Nordic areas. 

Increased hiking and biking 

infrastructure is needed to meet 

demand, increase year-round utilization 

of resort resources and infrastructure, 

and to provide downhill mountain 

biking opportunities on the Forest. The 

proposed hiking trails, mountain bike 

park, interpretive areas, zipline course, 

and rock climbing structure address this 

need. 

Proposed Action. The Proposed 

Action can be summarized as follows: 

Eastside Pod: 

• Developing the new Eastside 

Express chairlift and associated trails. 

The lift would be a detachable-grip, 

quadruple lift about 6,800 feet long with 

a capacity of 2,400 persons per hour 

(pph). 

• Constructing a new catchline at a 

lower elevation and selective thinning 

above the new catchline. 

Sunrise Area: 

• Replacing the Rainbow lift in a 

shortened alignment. The alignment 

would be shortened by about 40 percent 

to 3,150 feet. The current Sunshine 

Express lift, a detachable quad with a 

capacity of 1,800 pph, would replace 

the existing fixed-grip lift. 

• Replacing the Sunshine Express lift, 

a detachable quad rated at 1,800 pph, 

with a new detachable six-place lift 

with a capacity of 2,800 pph. 

• Developing the Sunrise Learning 

Center, the venue for the resort’s 

children’s ski school program, that 

would include dedicated space in the 

remodeled Sunrise Lodge, carpet lifts on 

adjacent ‘‘bunny hills,’’ and a forested 

kids ‘‘adventure zone.’’ 

• Improving Sunrise base area skier 

services, including a new 18,000 to 

25,000 square foot lodge and a 115 

percent expansion of the parking lot 

with a new access road. 

• Constructing a 125,000-gallon 

buried water reservoir to provide 

adequate storage for the new lodge and 

associated facilities. 

• Doubling the capacity of the 

existing Sunrise base area wastewater 

treatment system, particularly the drain 

field. 

• Installing a restroom facility near 

the base of Skyliner Express. 

West Village Area: 

• Shortening the Red Chair by 

roughly 25 percent to 3,000 feet, and 

constructing the Alpine Training Center 

to house the resort’s alpine racing 

program. 

• Adding 25.4 acres to the resort’s 

snowmaking coverage by expanding the 

existing snowmaking system onto five 

adjacent ski trails. 

• Removing outdated West Village 

buildings (the ski patrol/administration 

building and the generator building) and 

expanding the West Village Lodge by 

about 7,000 square feet. 

• Moving the tubing hill across the 

parking lot to the ‘‘Old Maid’’ area. 

• Developing a new 2.5-acre 

employee/overflow parking lot. 

• Constructing a biomass cogeneration facility to provide electrical 

power and steam heat. It would be 

located near the existing maintenance 

building and fuel storage area. 

Nordic Center: 

• Making minor improvements to the 

Nordic Center infrastructure, including 

a 2-acre learning area, two new trails to 

access the existing trail network, and 

refurbishing Bob’s Bungalow, including 

a new deck and fire pit. 

Summer Activities: 

• New hiking trails from Pine Marten 

Lodge to West Village, from the lodge to 

the top of Northwest Express lift, and 

around an interpretive loop above the 

lodge. 

• A mountain bike park including a 

skills area near the base of Pine Marten 

Express lift and a series of beginner, 

intermediate, and advanced downhill 

trails accessed from the top of the lift. 

• A canopy tour zipline course with 

three segments from Pine Marten Lodge 

down to West Village. 

• A rock climbing structure at Pine 

Marten Lodge. 

Issues. Preliminary issues include the 

effect of the Proposed Action on 

potential wilderness (the Eastside pod 

would be adjacent to an inventoried 

roadless area), special status plant and 

wildlife species including the northern 

spotted owl and several fungi, and 

visual quality, particularly as viewed 

from the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway. 

Additional Opportunities for Public 

Involvement. A Draft EIS will be filed 

with the Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) and is projected to be 

released for public review in March 

2012. The EPA will publish a Notice of 

Availability (NOA) of the Draft EIS in 

the Federal Register, opening a 45-day 

period for comment on that document; 

the DNF will then publish a legal notice 

in the newspaper of record, The Bulletin 

in Bend, OR, announcing the date of the 

Federal Register notice. 

The Final EIS and Record of Decision 

(ROD) are scheduled to be released in 

February 2013. The ROD will include 

responses to all substantive comments 

received on the Draft EIS. The EPA will 

publish a Notice of Availability (NOA) 

of the Final EIS in the Federal Register, 

and the DNF will publish a legal notice 

in the newspaper of record, opening a 

45-day period for administrative appeal 

of the decision documented in the ROD 

(36 CFR part 215). 

Dated: April 18, 2011. 

Elizabeth J. Peer, 

Acting District Ranger, Bend/Ft. Rock Ranger 

District, Deschutes National Forest. 

[FR Doc. 2011–9869 Filed 4–25–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Allegheny Resource Advisory 

Committee 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Allegheny Resource 

Advisory Committee will meet in 

Clarendon, Pennsylvania. The 

committee is authorized under the 

Secure Rural Schools and Community 

Self-Determination Act (Pub. L. 110– 

343) (the Act) and operates in 

compliance with the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act. The purpose of the 

committee is to improve collaborative 

relationships and to provide advice and 

recommendations to the Forest Service 

concerning projects and funding 

consistent with the title II of the Act. 

The meeting is open to the public. The 

purpose of the meeting is to organize the 

committee, draft committee by-laws and 

begin the process of soliciting 

appropriate projects for nomination for 

funding. 

DATES: The meeting will be held May 

11, 2011, at 9 a.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Mead Township Building located on 

Mead Blvd., in Clarendon, 

Pennsylvania. Written comments may 

be submitted as described under 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

All comments, including names and 

addresses when provided, are placed in 

the record and are available for public 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES